


Finding a home

by Get_below_my_line_of_vision



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Gen, Holding Hands, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26220901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Get_below_my_line_of_vision/pseuds/Get_below_my_line_of_vision
Summary: This is for to my Tumblr friend @thesewersof-paris but I'm not sure if they have ao3... So I'll just leave it as a note here :)(If anyone can notify them of this fic it'll be great xx)
Relationships: Cosette Fauchelevent/Éponine Thénardier, Éponine Thénardier & Gavroche Thénardier
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: Rarepairs- as requested





	Finding a home

**Author's Note:**

> This is for to my Tumblr friend @thesewersof-paris but I'm not sure if they have ao3... So I'll just leave it as a note here :)
> 
> (If anyone can notify them of this fic it'll be great xx)

The mist covered the area so much so the two could not tell if they were in a village or a middle of a forest. The air was cold and the roads were peppered with ice but it carried a welcoming feeling. After what Éponine and Gavroche endured, they needed the feeling of something new- something they had never experienced before. Anything that was opposite of their home life was surely going to be magnificently better. After all they had experienced the worst. Moving forward was swimming up from the dark sea.

Gavroche held his sister’s hand as tightly as he could. “Will they find us?”  
“No.” She was quick to reply, but the rest of her words were shaky, “They will never find us again. I promise. They’re gone.” She knelt down so they could meet eye to eye. “Remember not to tell anyone about where we’re from. Not our parents. Father knows the police. He’ll listen in.”  
“So… It’ll be a secret?”  
“Yes. A secret. Between you,” She touched her heart, “And you.” Then his.  
Gavroche nodded. “Sure. I can do that.”

Éponine nodded and took him by the hand again and walked down the vacuous streets. Sinec their escape was so sudden she didn’t know where to go from there. However with her brother beside her she didn’t feel like she was missing anything; she brought everything she needed. 

The village, as small as it was, had windy roads and the two felt they were walking in circles. Every loop they would run into the same inn which caused shivers down their spine. “We can’t go in there, ‘Ponine. I don’t want to go.” Gavroche became increasingly scared, his face pink and his eyes teray with snot dangling from his nose.  
“We won’t, Gav. I made a promise to protect you. If the sight of an inn is frightening I will vanish it from existence.”  
“You will.”  
“Yes. Close your eyes, I will hold you.” Éponine stretched out her arms as her brother comfortably climbed on her.

With her petite brother in her arms, she spoke lovingly and softly; something she had not heard before said to her. Even though she had never been handled with care, she always knew how to be a good mother to Gavroche. It was an instinct. Which made it more painful when explaining how her mother could have treated her so maliciously if being a good mother was a natural task.

Slowly Gavroche fell asleep in her arms as she hummed a familiar tune. It was sung by her when they were in the stony basement and were left alone. With him crying, she used to crawl to him with her bloody arms and use the last of her energy to help him at least have a warm dream. It was the only thing invented down there which had been helpful.

“Excuse me,” A faint voice called out from behind.  
Éponine jumped and held her tongue so she didn’t scream and wake up her brother. Yet she couldn’t help her eyes watering. Surprises were never a good sign back there.  
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to alarm you,” The woman’s voice was soft and light, “I wanted to know why you are with a child in the middle of the night.”  
“I… Uh…” Crap. If she were to tell the truth they would get caught. The police couldn’t be trusted. “We were looking for a place to sleep.”  
The woman looked up and saw the inn’s sign behind them. “There’s an inn behind you but you were walking towards me. Do you want your young child to be safe?” She pulled out her phone.  
“No, no. no!” Éponine stretched her arm out and checked if her brother was still asleep. “You see, the police will not be kind to us.”  
“Are you a criminal?”  
“Uh…-”  
She gasped. “Were you wrongfully accused?” She wiped away her tear- obviously the woman was highly emotional. “If so, I understand my dear friend. I’ll put away my phone and you can stay with me.”

Éponine stepped backwards. “No… I- We couldn’t…”  
The woman stepped forwards. “Why not?”  
She was ready to sprint at any moment. The only problem was that her vision was getting fuzzy. But she could navigate still… right?  
“Why not?” She repeated.  
“Because no one is this kind.” She muttered, hoping she wasn't heard.

The woman stared at her wide eyed, exposing how much blue was in them. Then her face transformed to a sympathetic one. Cautiously, she approached Éponine, stroking Gav’s back until touching her face. Her touch was delicate. “I’m Cosette. No one, and I mean no one, will ever treat you badly. Not anymore. You’re with me.”  
Éponine gave out an exhale of delight but also annoyance of all the burden she had to carry. “I’m- I’m… I’m…” She calmed her jagged breathing. “I’m Éponine. This… is Gavroche.”  
The little boy was still sound asleep and Cosette gave out a giggle. It was a motherly one. She couldn’t wake any child with such a soft voice. 

“You both are under my protection.” She stroked her face, feeling lumps which were hidden with make-up. But Cosette could see. “You will never feel a blade again. You will never be hit again. You will never be harmed again.”  
“That… Sounds nice.”  
Cosette gave a smile which could make the sun rise with it’s beauty and peace. “I’m so happy to have met you, ‘Ponine. I don’t think you will ever disappear from mind. Let me lead you to my home.” She held her free hand and grinned as she watched their hands swing in the air.  
Éponine gave out a snort. “I’ve never had a friend before.”  
The blonde girl halted in her tracks for a second before continuing. “You’ve missed a lot in life.”  
“You think?”  
“Don’t worry! You will have a grand time with me!” She then whispered, “With no police.”  
Éponine squeezed her hand tightly.  
“What was that for?”  
“Checking you were real.”

“Hey, um, do you want me to carry Gavroche for a while?”  
Éponine shook her head excessively.  
She laughed gently. “Sorry, I’ve should’ve known. I’ll keep holding your hand. I like it.”  
Blushing from the overwhelming sweetness, Éponine murmured, “I like it too.”

**Author's Note:**

> This ended really weirdly but it was because it started as a story I came up with a long time ago but I changed the characters since they seemed so alike. lmao my original work had unintentional eposette dynamic.
> 
> If I do continue this, this chapter would be edited to help the flow and I will make it into a Cosette/ Marius/ Éponine since that was also the rarepair my Tumblr friend suggested.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
